Your task is to evaluate the “ways in which argument and written and visual language are used in the material to persuade others to share the points of view presented.”
Your SAC: “Analyse and compare the use of argument and persuasive language in texts that present a point of view on an issue currently debated in the media.” (VCAA); You must analyse each other’s point of view and their argument, showing a “thorough understanding of the arguments presented in the texts and how they have been constructed to position audiences”. (VCAA)
“Students will not be required to evaluate the relative merits of arguments or the effectiveness of the use of persuasive language in any text(s).” (VCAA)
Feedback and some typical comments
- My teacher told me to focus more on emotional appeals.
- My teacher said I need to describe the points in more depth.
- My teacher says that I should focus more on audience impact instead of just analysing language techniques
- My teacher said I should always focus on the subject of the sentence by using less words such as “thus” or “moreover”
- There needs to be a greater focus on how the argument is being developed to persuade
- My teacher wants me to focus more on argument progression and the reasons for shifts in arguments.
- My teacher said she did not want me to skip parts from the piece and talk about the arguments in order of the piece itself.
- My teacher wants me to use phrases such as “positions the readers to…” or “leads them to…”,
- My teacher said that I don’t need to say “positions” – that there are more sophisticated ways of saying it. Also I need to be more subtle with the positioning tactics because they are implied.
- My teacher wants me to focus on word connotations and their implications. He doesn’t want me to say how readers are definitely going to react.
- My teacher wants me to focus more on the author’s tone and tonal effects and modulations in tone.
- My teacher said I didn’t need to do “tone” because it’s implied in the other techniques. I should focus more on viewpoints and sequencing of viewpoints.
- My teacher wants me to “track” the argument and analyse how it is being developed.
- My teacher said that I’m summarising too much and including too many generic comments.
- My teacher said that I could refer back to the image again to re-emphasise an argument in a different body paragraph, even after analysing it earlier
Some tips: my response
To keep improving, you need to show a deeper and more polished understanding of the author’s views and argument techniques/persuasive words and how they reinforce each other.
Such an understanding should protect you from making generalised and vague comments. (Try, too, to avoid a paragraph that is just a list of quotes/techniques repeating the same positioning strategy. Group together a cluster of techniques and keep analysing.)
Above all you need to work to time: in the exam you have 55 minutes. (Your time for SACs may vary but it will probably be around 1.5 hours.) You need to evaluate the piece quickly and efficiently. Take a holistic approach. If authors accumulate depth and complexity throughout their opinion piece, then it makes sense to prioritise the second half of the argument. (Do not over-evaluate the beginning of the author’s piece as it is often setting-the-scene background material. Make sure you allocate your time and spend time where it counts most.)
- You need to link “written language” to “arguments” and “development of arguments” to the viewpoint we must “share”. This will give your paragraph a sense of control and avoid listing. You must strike a balance — not not over-emphasis “arguments” at the expense of “written language”.
- Tracking the argument: there’s a buzz around “tracking” or the development of the argument (a trend that continues into the New Study Design). (You need to consider “the ways authors construct arguments to position audiences”.) There’s lots of smart, effective, and streamlined ways you can do this. Don’t over-elaborate or make a “meal” of the “argument” and the positioning of probably what really is only 2 key ideas, or you’ll end up summarising and/or not having enough time to do the persuasive-word level analysis. Strike a balance.
- Generally, you will tend to work chronologically through the piece. Much depends upon the author’s article and if it is a beat-around-the-bush argumentative style, you will need to be careful, and nimble. The opening “hook”/technique is preparing segmented audiences (which ones?) to “share” what viewpoint and why?
- You need to use your metalanguage in a polished and nuanced way – in a way that helps you hone in on the obvious and underlying meanings of the text. You need to connect these to the author’s views and positioning strategies.
- You need to avoid repetition and listing of phrases and techniques. You can do this by grouping strategic word choices together that complement and reinforce the author’s intended effects and impacts. (Again be nimble and and show that you are perceptive.) (For example, hone in on a particularly “busy” sections of the text: this enables you to do a very smart job. Do not isolate words and phrases from their argumentative context.)
- Re “positioning statements” – “the author positions readers to …” is a bit clunky, heavy-handed and contrived. There are some more polished and more nuanced ways of dealing with the author’s “positioning” strategies and intended effects.
- The pieces that tend to be about key ideas and values are easy to summarise and difficult to evaluate. You need to be strategic with regards to key techniques and word choices – which ones help to reinforce the author’s key ideas and why? You really need to work some polished metalanguage when dealing with an ideas-based opinion piece or one that is based primarily on personal experience.
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